Army of Righteous Chastisement
Army of Righteous Chastisement was the name of the army of the Thaumaturg sent on a campaign against Ardata. Its commander was Golan Amaway and Second in Command U-Pre.Blood and Bone, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPB The army was divided into cohorts.Blood and Bone, Chapter 1, UK MMPB, p.75 Members of the Crimson Guard Disavowed under Skinner were allied with the Thaumaturg army. The Crimson Guard were called the Isturé by the Thaumaturgs.Blood and Bone, Chapter 1, UK MMPB, p.70-72 Shortly before being attacked by insects the army consisted of five thousand troops and two hundred Yakshaka who were supported by fifteen thousand slaves, labourers, bearers and assorted camp followers.Blood and Bone, Chapter 6, UK MMPB, p.320 In Blood and Bone The armies' purpose was to invade the Jungle of Himatan, in hope of reaching the city of Jakal Viharn but primarily to distract attention from the Circle of Masters who planned to enter the Himatan themselves.Blood and Bone, Chapter 6, UK MMPB, p.316-326 The army was plagued by problems. A Yakshaka went missing and Cohort Leader Pon-lor was sent out to search for it.Blood and Bone, Chapter 1, UK MMPB, p.75/76 Then, while only a few nights into the march, several soldiers were slaughtered by an unknown creature, inciting fear in the troops. Golan sent Skinner and his Guard to destroy it.Blood and Bone, Chapter 2, UK MMPB, p.96-99 While these problems persisted more cropped up during the march, with another demoralising event being a soldier's murder-suicide, brought on by the venom of a yellow recluse. Afterwards an order was issued to warn the soldiers of spiders, scorpions, and centipedes and how to avoid them. All of these events occurred before the army even passed beyond the Gangrek Mounts to reach Ardata's lands.Blood and Bone, Chapter 3, UK MMPB, p.190-197 The next obstacle of the land, however, only claimed the lives of two scouts as Golan's readings helped him to more quickly identify and come up with a solution (burning) for the White Plague, a spore type that would have vastly reduced the army if it had gone undetected.Blood and Bone, Chapter 5, UK MMPB, p.248-257 The march continued to be beleaguered with issues, including desertions, men lost to the jungle or its denizens, and loss of stores with abandoned carts. As the commander was appraised of these problems the baggage train was inundated by a mass of insects, which were only dispersed when Golan convinced some of the Crimson Guardsmen to help.Blood and Bone, Chapter 6, UK MMPB, p.316-326 Afterwards, just before Skinner returned, there was a decline in the number of animal attacks.Blood and Bone, Chapter 8, UK MMPB, p.470 Desertions continued to a small extent, even amongst the animals, as the army was forced to abandon its remaining wagons and carts while the other causes for casualties continued to be illnesses or animal attacks with no contact with the enemy.Blood and Bone, Chapter 9, UK MMPB, p.479-489 After losing U-Pre to illness, sub-commander Waris was promoted to be the new Second in Command. Golan approved Waris' unconventional idea of having the soldiers help the labourers build rafts to cross a river blocking their path. After the river crossing was delayed by a giant worm's attack on the Disavowed's raft (incidentally affecting other rafts also, knocking soldiers into the water), the Disavowed moved further into the jungle, abandoning the Army of Righteous Chastisement who recuperated on the opposite shore. The Commander's presence was requested later that evening by the head surgeon, who thought he would have an academic interest in a patient of his who was infected by a parasite. Identified as an offshoot of the Ganari-worm, it was found in the river water and turned out to be a much more virulent form of the parasite, ultimately killing the soldier by eating him alive from the inside causing agonising pain.Blood and Bone, Chapter 10, UK MMPB, p.573-584 This showed the decision to have the soldiers build the rafts to be counterproductive in the long run, as it resulted in a long night of work trying to isolate and help the infected as the parasites ran rampant through not only the labourers but the soldiers too. This left the army much diminished, though again with still enough supplies to maintain the men.Blood and Bone, Chapter 12, UK MMPB, p.668-673 Having had a premonition,Blood and Bone, Chapter 14, UK MMPB, p.737-741Blood and Bone, Chapter 9, UK MMPB, p.524-525 the commander broke camp in an attempt to reach safety, even ordering the yakshaka to carry the least able, partially in response to one of Principal Scribe Thorn's sarcastic yet insightful jabs. Having passed through the full Jungle of the Himatan to reach the relative safety of the eastern coast of Jacuruku and having avoided the destruction brought down by the Circle of Masters, only a small force of the Army of Righteous Chastisement remained. Golan ordered them to head north, so they would be able to travel around the coast and back to their own lands.Blood and Bone, Epilogue, UK MMPB, p.839-842 Known members *Golan Amaway - Commander *U-pre - Second in Command *Pon-lor - Cohort Leader *Thorn - Principal Scribe *Waris - Officer Notes and references Category:Military units